Thief: Deadly Shadows... two more days!

[Adrian M]

XBox version runs great. Graphics are awesome with great lighting and great character models. Sounds and voice acting is very well done too. I've had no trouble with the controls yet at all. It even has one of those nifty wheel type things to select weapons like in the new Serious Sam. I like that they don't put alot of crap (like a HUD) on the screen, all you get is a jewel and a compass. It really is a very nicely done game. First Person whores should love it and so should 3rd person stealth whores ( I am both so I really love it).

 

And does teh XBOX version allow you to save anywhere as well, or are you restricted to a checkpoint system?

[Albert]

I just thought people would be interested in knowing that Ion Storm has laid off a significant number of people (half the studio), coinciding with Thief shipping, that Warren Spector has supposedly left, and that they canceled all projects except for one. This is similar to what happened after Daikatana and Anachronox shipped up in Dallas (after Anachronox shipped, they closed down the Dallas office).

 

..Al

[PuddWakkr]

And does the XBOX version allow you to save anywhere as well, or are you restricted to a checkpoint system?

 

You can save anywhere you want on the Xbox version. Personally I am "mommy saving" like a champ

[Rocko]

Is it good? I saw the Xbox version in target today, but wanted to wait for opinions.

[PuddWakkr]

Is it good? I saw the Xbox version in target today, but wanted to wait for opinions.

 

Go ahead and pick it up. VERY good game.

[Adrian M]

I just thought people would be interested in knowing that Ion Storm has laid off a significant number of people (half the studio), coinciding with Thief shipping, that Warren Spector has supposedly left, and that they canceled all projects except for one.  This is similar to what happened after Daikatana and Anachronox shipped up in Dallas (after Anachronox shipped, they closed down the Dallas office).  

 

..Al

 

A reduction is staff is the norm at the conclusion of most projects, no?

I have heard the rumors of Warren Spector leaving. Politics had something to do with it I remember reading.

[Albert]

A reduction is staff is the norm at the conclusion of most projects, no?  

 

Not if a studio is doing well and they manage their projects and resources prpoerly. It's a pretty lame thing to do after someone's busted their ass on a project for one or more years to lay them off at the end of the project. "Thanks for all your hard work, see ya!!" That sure gives you some incentive to work just as hard on future projects!

 

I have heard the rumors of Warren Spector leaving.  Politics had something to do with it I remember reading.

 

I don't know the details yet, but I may know more soon.

 

..Al

[cryptik76]

I'm sure Eidos was not happy with the performance of Deus Ex: Invisible War. It wasn't a failure of Daikatana-like proportions, and it got fairly positive reviews, but I don't think it sold well. I believe Ion Storm has (or had) another Deus Ex game in the works, but it's possible that Eidos killed it.

 

If the rumors are true, it's a shame if it means the end of the Deus Ex and Thief series. Though Deus Ex 2 was by no means as good as the original, and had many questionable design issues (not to mention it ran like a dog on most computers, and even on the Xbox), the franchise has a lot of potential. The Thief franchise is one of the most widely-respected in PC gaming, and the newest game is a worthy addition to the series. It's nice that the original trilogy is brought to a close, but Ion Storm was talking about continuing the series beyond the trilogy, and it would be a shame for it to end here.

 

What's worse about this is that, for those gamers who are on the fence about whether or not to buy Thief: Deadly Shadows, the fact that Eidos (allegedly) laid off so much of the staff casts a lot of doubt upon the game's quality. That would be a shame, because it's really a great game. They did the same thing after Anachronox, which I'm sure didn't help its sales. Anachronox was pushed out there to die a hard death commercially, but the game was actually very good (and funny).

 

I know that Eidos has been in financial trouble for a long time, so if the rumors are true it probably says more about Eidos wanting to tighten their belt than it does about the newly-shipped Thief: DS. It casts a dark pall over the game as I play it, though, just as it did when I played Anachronox, knowing that the people who worked so hard to deliver such an excellent game to their fans had to lose their jobs shortly afterwards.

[Albert]

I know that Eidos has been in financial trouble for a long time, so if the rumors are true it probably says more about Eidos wanting to tighten their belt than it does about the newly-shipped Thief: DS.  It casts a dark pall over the game as I play it, though, just as it did when I played Anachronox, knowing that the people who worked so hard to deliver such an excellent game to their fans had to lose their jobs shortly afterwards.

 

The rumors are true (I used to work at Ion, so it's still reasonably easy for me to confirm things like this). One bad aspect about this is it could mean Thief: DS will never be patched on the PC if there are any problems.

 

..Al

[cryptik76]

The rumors are true (I used to work at Ion, so it's still reasonably easy for me to confirm things like this).  One bad aspect about this is it could mean Thief: DS will never be patched on the PC if there are any problems.

 

..Al

 

That is a shame. Fortunately, the PC version doesn't seem to be in much need of patching. It's one of the least-buggy PC games I've played recently.

 

I hope they all land on their feet. Perhaps, since there are so many of them, the majority of those laid off will create their own studio, maybe with Warren Spector at the helm?

 

I'm sad about Thief, though. Maybe it will be a big seller and Eidos will figure out a way to keep it going (just please don't give it to Core Design. They'd probably use the Tomb Raider engine on the next one).